Eve of Destruction (song)

"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1965. Several artists have recorded it, but the most popular recording was by Barry McGuire.

The song references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East, and the American space program.

The American media helped popularize the song by using it as an example of everything that was wrong with the youth culture of the time. Due to its controversial lyrics, some American radio stations banned the song, "claiming it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam".

Background
The song was offered to the Byrds as a potential single in the vein of their prior Bob Dylan covers, but they rejected it. The Turtles, another L.A. group, recorded a version instead. The Turtles version was issued as a track on their October 1965 debut album It Ain't Me Babe, shortly after McGuire's version was cut and released in July 1965. The Turtles version was later released as a single in 1970 and hit #100 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lyrical references

 * "You're old enough to kill, but not for votin refers to the United States law requiring registration for the draft at age 18, while the minimum voting age in most states was 21 until the ratification of the Twenty-sixth Amendment in 1971.
 * "And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin refers to the War over Water.
 * "If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away." refers to mutual assured destruction.
 * The song's mention of Selma, Alabama, refers to the Selma to Montgomery marches in March 1965. The Jan and Dean version substitutes "Watts, California" in the lyrics, in apparent reference to the Watts riots that occurred in Los Angeles later in 1965.
 * "You may leave here for four days in space, but when you return it's the same old place" refers to the June 1965 mission of Gemini 4, which lasted just over four days.
 * "The pounding of the drums, the pride and disgrace" refers to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the marching band that played as his casket was carried to Arlington National Cemetery.
 * "Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace" refers to simple hypocrisy, according to Sloan.

Barry McGuire version
McGuire's recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965, and released by Dunhill Records. The accompanying musicians were P. F. Sloan on guitar and "Wrecking Crew" session musicians Hal Blaine on drums and Larry Knechtel on bass guitar. McGuire's vocal track was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the rough mix "leaked" out to a disc jockey, who began playing it. The song was an instant hit, and as a result, the more polished vocal track that was at first envisioned was never recorded.

McGuire recalled in later years that "Eve of Destruction" had been recorded in one take on a Tuesday morning, with him reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper. The following Monday morning he got a phone call from the record company at 7:00 a.m., telling him to turn on the radio; his song was playing. McGuire's single hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1965.

Reception
In the first week of its release, the single was at No. 103 on the Billboard charts. By August 12 Dunhill released the LP, Eve of Destruction. It reached its peak of #37 on the Billboard album chart during the week ending September 25. That same day the single went to #1 on the chart, and repeated the feat on the Cashbox chart, where it had debuted at No. 30. McGuire would never again break into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. It went to #1 in Norway for two weeks.

Controversy, parodies, and response songs
In addition to its being banned in some parts of the U.S., it was also banned by Radio Scotland. It was placed on a "restricted list" by the BBC, and could not be played on "general entertainment programmes". It was however featured on Top of the Pops on television one week while in the Top 10.

The Vietnam War Song Project has identified 22 answer records. A group called The Spokesmen released "The Dawn of Correction", which became a Top 40 hit. Singer Tony Mammarella also released a positive answer song titled "Eve of Tomorrow". A few months later, Green Beret medic SSgt. Barry Sadler released the patriotic "Ballad of the Green Berets". Johnny Sea's 1966 spoken word recording, "Day For Decision", was also a response to the song, and was also a Top 40 hit. In addition, the British musician Alan Klein included a parody of the song attacking protest singers entitled "Age of Corruption" on his album Well at Least It's British.

In popular culture
The Temptations' 1970 song "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" mentions the song title.

The song is prominently featured in the second season episode of The Greatest American Hero, entitled "Operation Spoilsport". The song is played during the fourth-season finale of The A-Team, "The Sound of Thunder".

The song, like many other popular songs of the day, gave its name to a gun truck used by United States Army Transportation Corps forces during the Vietnam War. The truck is on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum and is believed to be the only surviving example of a Vietnam-era gun truck.

The song is featured in the soundtrack of Mafia III.

The song is played in its entirety in the Italian film Rose Island from 2020.